Trump Raised $239 Million for Inauguration, More Than Doubling His Own Record

Source: New York Times

Trump Raised $239 Million for Inauguration, More Than Doubling His Own Record

The staggering amount, disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission, was driven by corporate America's eagerness to win the president's favor.


President Trump, center, Vice President JD Vance, center left, and members of their families at an inaugural ball in January. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

By Theodore Schleifer
Reporting from Washington
April 20, 2025

President Trump raised $239 million for his inauguration festivities in January, a norm-shattering amount fueled by corporate America's desire to curry favor with a famously transactional president. … The total, disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Sunday, is more than double the previous record of $107 million set by Mr. Trump's inaugural committee in 2017. About 140 different people or companies gave at least $1 million to the effort, including blue-chip companies like JPMorgan Chase, Delta Air Lines and Target.

The committee, known formally as the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, is required by federal law to report the names of donors and the dollar amounts for contributions over $200 to the F.E.C. no more than 90 days after the Jan. 20 ceremony. It is not required to report how it spent the money. … Many of the donations to Mr. Trump's inauguration were previously announced -- such as $1 million each from tech giants like Meta and Amazon -- in part because companies wanted it known widely that they were backing Mr. Trump's formal return to power. But the report revealed a few names not well-publicized, including several friends of Elon Musk, such as tech investors like John Hering, Ken Howery and Keith Rabois, who each gave $1 million. (Neither Mr. Musk, a top presidential adviser, nor any of his companies donated.)

The three largest contributions came from a poultry producer, Pilgrim's, which donated $5 million; a crypto company, Ripple Inc., which donated just under that; and Warren Stephens, a Republican donor who gave $4 million on the same day, Dec. 2, that Mr. Trump named him as his pick to be ambassador to Britain.

Inaugurations, even with several days of elaborate dinners and other events, have never cost anything near roughly a quarter-billion dollars, and the amount raised by the committee will resurface questions about where any leftover funds might go. The committee has not said how much money it has spent, but the president's allies have said that the remaining amount will be funneled to other Trump-sponsored projects, primarily a nonprofit organization that will build his presidential library.

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Theodore Schleifer is a Times reporter covering billionaires and their impact on the world.

https://www.nytimes.com/by/theodore-schleifer

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/trump-inauguration-donors.html

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I searched and did not see this, but I have found DU's search engine to be erratic when used on a phone.

“Transactional” = requires a payoff up front. It’s not a bribe, because it’s out in the open.